Symphonia Thanksgiving
by Feriku
Summary: After reuniting the two worlds, Lloyd invites his friends over to celebrate their victory and give thanks. But everything goes wrong. Zelos brings three girlfriends, Colette invites ALL the Renegades, and the Summon Spirits are ready to party like it's 4,000 years ago. They have a lot to be thankful for, but it'll be far from the quiet dinner they expected.
1. Chapter 1: A Small Gathering

**Symphonia Thanksgiving**

Chapter 1: A Small Gathering

Three months had passed since they reunited Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Everyone was busy following that time, but they deserved a little time to rest. At least, Lloyd thought so. That was why, after discussing it with Dirk, he invited all their friends to Iselia for a nice dinner where they could catch up and be happy to be together again.

"Besides," he said, "we have a lot to celebrate. The two worlds are together again, and we have a chance for peace."

"I love the idea!" Collette clasped her hands together in front of her and jumped up and down. "It's sort of a thanksgiving!"

"Who's going to cook for everyone?" Dirk asked, with a look on his face that suggested it wouldn't be him.

Raine stepped forward with an eager smile. "I can—"

"Regal is a great cook," Lloyd said, before she could volunteer. This was supposed to be fun, and that didn't involve Raine's cooking. "I bet he'd love the opportunity to make a fancy dinner and show off a little."

"That sounds great!" Colette looked happier with each passing moment. "I'll start sending out invitations!"

Dirk walked into the house. "I'll clear off a table."

"I'll help with the invitations," Raine said. "Let's see, we'll need to contact Sheena, Zelos, Regal, and Presea . . ."

"Yuan deserves an invitation too," Lloyd said. "And maybe Altessa?"

"We'll take care of it." She and Colette left together.

Things were well on their way, then. Except . . . He turned to Genis, who hadn't said a word the entire time. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Genis blinked, but then smiled. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Still, his laugh sounded a little strained. "It'll be great to see everyone again . . ."

"Yeah." Lloyd looked up at the sky. "I wish there was a way to invite Kratos, though. It won't seem the same without him."

Genis lowered his gaze and stared down at the ground. "Yeah . . ."

"Well, wherever he is, he wouldn't want us to be depressed. Come on, let's help prepare for this party."

#

On the day of the celebration, Regal arrived early, as requested. He was decked out like a chef and seemed happier than Lloyd ever saw him before.

"What exactly will I be doing?" he asked.

"Well," Lloyd said, "there will be . . ." He ran through everyone in his mind. "Eleven people."

"Sounds doable." Regal rubbed his chin. It still seemed odd to see him without handcuffs, not that Lloyd would ever say so out loud. "Why don't we have turkey?"

"Great!"

"And we'll have some mashed potatoes, too. Let's see . . ."

Raine approached and cleared her throat. "May I join you? I've been practicing, and I think I've come up with a great experimental recipe!"

"Th-that's fine," Lloyd said. "I think we really need your help, uh . . ." He looked around for inspiration.

Genis saved him. "Come on, sis, I need help setting up the chairs." In light of how many people were coming, they'd taken two tables from Dirk's house and arranged them outside with chairs borrowed from Iselia.

"Oh, all right," she said.

As she left, Regal let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. After finally being free, I don't need to be an accessory to manslaughter."

Lloyd laughed, and Regal vanished inside the house to prepare the food.

A moment later, Dirk exited and rolled his eyes. "Asked why I didn't have a turkey. Why would I have a turkey on hand?"

"Do you need help, Dad?"

"No, I'll just go into town and buy one." He winked. "If Genis runs out of ways to keep Professor Sage occupied, send her after me. I could use help carrying the vegetables."

"Thanks."

On the dwarf's way out, he passed Presea, who greeted him with almost a smile. She hadn't changed much, although she said she'd started to age again. Colette, who stood near the trees with a guest list, checked her name off and spoke to her for a moment.

Presea walked to Lloyd. "This was a wonderful idea."

"Thanks," he said. "How have you been?"

"Well enough. Coming to terms with my new life."

 _Thud!_

Lloyd spun toward the table, where Genis had dropped a chair on his foot. The half-elf hopped around for a moment, then seemed to realize he had an audience. He limped over to them and smiled in a way he probably thought was casual.

"Hey, Presea. How have you been?"

"I'm fine." A trace of amusement tinged her voice. "How are you?"

Lloyd left them alone to talk—Genis would be fine, if he ever got over his nervousness around her, although then they _would_ have to discuss the matter of Presea's real age—and took over setting up chairs with Raine. Around the two tables, eleven chairs could be spaced evenly.

"That's that," she said. "Now, about that experimental recip—"

"By the way, Professor Sage, Dirk was hoping you'd go into town and help him carry vegetables."

She folded her arms. "You're trying to keep me away from the kitchen aren't you?"

He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Uh . . ."

"You could have just asked." She smiled. "Did you think I'd mind?"

Yes, he did, actually.

"This is a time for us to be happy with our friends," she said. "Nothing can upset me today. I'll go after Dirk and see what he needs help with."

Lloyd smiled. "Thanks."

"Professor Sage!" Altessa's voice came from beyond the trees a second before the dwarf emerged, a large sack in his arms. "Where are you going?"

She blinked. "I was on my way into Iselia to get ingredients for dinner. Why?"

"I need your help with something." He frowned. "Anyone can buy food, but you're one of the few people who can help me with this."

Lloyd joined them and eyed the sack, which _clanked_ and _clinked_ every time Altessa moved. "What's in there?"

"It's a surprise." He glared at him as though he expected a fight. "One I need the professor's help with."

"Don't worry!" Colette rushed over and handed Lloyd the list of guests. "I'll help Dirk instead." She ran into the forest and promptly tripped. "Oops!" Then she was off again."

Lloyd shook his head and took her position near the entrance to wait for more guests. Things already felt chaotic, and the party hadn't started yet. What was Altessa up to?

Oh well, whatever it was, it couldn't be anything bad. The dwarf made mistakes in the past, but he was a good person.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zelos strode through the trees with a bright smile on his face.

His butler, his sister, and a blonde woman Lloyd didn't recognize followed him.

Lloyd looked from him to the others. "Hi?"

Zelos slung an arm across his shoulders. "Hey, you don't mind me bringing a few guests, do you? Seles doesn't really get out a lot—"

"Not that I wanted to come," his sister interrupted.

He continued as though she hadn't spoken. "—and Sebastian worries about us if we're gone too long. Besides, the old boy could use a little relaxation himself."

The butler looked faintly offended at the suggestion that he might relax.

"And lastly"—Zelos waved the blonde woman forward and put his arm around her waist—"this is my date, Miranda."

She beamed.

Sheena arrived in time to hear the introduction. "Argh!" She glared at Zelos. "This is supposed to be a friendly dinner, and you bring some . . . some . . ."

He gave her a mocking bow. "I see you didn't come alone, either."

What?

Lloyd followed Zelos's gaze. Behind Sheena stood Igaguri, Orochi, and Kuchinawa, the last of whom looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Sheena put her hands on her hips and scowled at Zelos. "That's different. They came as my guests to help restore peace after everything that happened." She turned to Lloyd. "It's not a problem, right?"

"No, no problem." He wrote the names of the newcomers at the bottom of the checklist. He'd have to tell Regal they were expecting six more people for dinner.

Seles looked like she wanted to kill both Sheena and Miranda. Off to a good start.

"Why don't you guys go, uh, mingle?" he said. "Everyone else should be here soon." He looked at the checklist again. Yuan was the only one who hadn't arrived yet. No problem. He turned toward the house so he could tell Regal about the additional guests—

—and ran right into Raine.

"Agh!" He jumped back. "Professor, is something wrong?"

"Yes." She looked back toward a clearing by the side of the house, where Noishe watched Altessa with interest as he fiddled with pieces of machinery. "You said Yuan is coming, right?"

"Yes . . ." He frowned toward Altessa. Some of the equipment he held looked like it came straight from Desian and Renegade bases. "Why?"

"He might be able to help us, but we were hoping we could have another set of eyes. Is it all right if invite Harley to dinner?"

"Harley?" He blinked. "The half-elf from Asgard, right?"

"Yes. He has the sort of mechanical mind we need for this."

"What _are_ you two up to, anyway?"

"It's a surprise."

Lloyd sighed and added Harley's name to the list. "All right. One more shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you." She ran back to tell Altessa. They conferred together a moment longer before she grabbed one of the Rheairds they still had and took to the air.

Everyone paused what they were doing to look up as she took off, including Zelos.

Who then walked toward Lloyd with a brown-haired woman on his arm.

"Hi, Lloyd. I just wanted to introduce you to Lilac. She'd my date for dinner."

Lloyd stared at them, then looked around. The woman Zelos originally arrived with stood near Genis and Presea. All three worked together spread tablecloths over the assembled tables.

"Zelos . . ."

Zelos smiled at his date. "Have you met everyone yet? My dear friend Sheena is over there." He pointed toward where Sheena frowned at Altessa's pile of equipment. "Why don't you say hello?"

The moment she left, Lloyd stepped close. "You told me that other woman was your date!"

"Hey, I'm irresistible, what can I say?"

"You have two dates? Do _they_ know that?"

"Nope." He winked. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Lloyd groaned and added Lilac's name to the checklist. Regal was going to kill him.

Dirk and Colette returned, in animated conversation as they carried bags full of groceries. From the dirt on Colette's clothes and the bags, she'd fallen more than once during the trip. They walked into the house.

At least the guests seemed to be getting along, more or less. Seles kept to herself, but that created a quiet corner where Kuchinawa took up residence. The two stood together in silence.

Sheena shook off the company of Zelos's second girlfriend, who started talking to Presea instead. Zelos crept up behind her and ushered his first girlfriend away before the two could notice each other. And Genis—

Lloyd frowned and looked around. Where did Genis go?

He walked up to Sheena, who looked like she had a headache. "Have you seen Genis?"

She nodded and pointed toward the trees. "He said he wanted to be alone for a little while."

"Did something happen?"

"I think he's just feeling down."

"I wonder—" A tap on Lloyd's shoulder cut him off, and he turned.

A young woman with long purple hair braided down to her waist gave him a gentle smile. "Are you really Lloyd Irving, the hero who saved the two worlds?"

"Uh . . . yes?" He scratched the back of his head. "Who are you?"

"Oh, didn't Zelos mention me?" She giggled and put her hand over her mouth. "My name is Zenora. He invited me as his date for this event."

Sheena's eyes bulged. "That IDIOT Chosen!"

Lloyd stared at the newcomer. "I see . . . Uh . . . welcome." Three dates? Zelos invited _three_ different women to a small gathering and none of them knew about each other? He sighed and added Zenora to his list. "This is getting out of hand."

"Parties have a tendency to do so when they aren't planned well."

He looked from side to side at the sudden voice, then jumped as Origin drifted into view. "Is something wrong?"

The Summon Spirit looked rather confused by the question.

Sheena cleared her throat. "Oh yeah, the spirits asked if they could celebrate, too. I said it would be all right. After all, we couldn't have won without them."

Lloyd stared around in shock as Undine, Efreet, Sephie, Yutis, Fairess, Volt, Gnome, Celsius, Shadow, Maxwell, Luna, and even Aska and Verius appeared in the clearing and drifted through the startled guests.

"They _all_ wanted to come?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, they've been bored for a long time."

"When was the last time we had a good party?" Luna asked.

"4,000 years ago," Maxwell called back.

She sighed. "That long, was it? After that, business, business, business."

"Don't forget betrayal," one of the Sylph spirits said.

"Business, betrayal . . ."

"Hey," Maxwell said, "all I get to do is hold a city in the air. You want to talk boring? Spend 4,000 years holding a city in the air!"

"Business, betrayal, boredom . . ."

Sheena must have noticed Lloyd's panicked expression. "Don't worry. They don't eat food."

"I know, but do we have room for them all?"

Not to mention that a group of bored Summon Spirits having their first party in 4,000 years sounded like a recipe for disaster. Especially since they were trying to mingle.

All the guests edged away from Shadow, and he finally joined Seles and Kochinawa at their lonely section of the table.

"Lloyd!" Genis ran out of the trees, eyes wide. "Lloyd, Lloyd!"

His heart sank. "What's wrong?"

"There's a fleet of Rheairds flying toward us!"

"A _fleet_?" He ran after his friend through the forest.

The Rheairds landed a short distance away, where the human ranch used to be. Their riders disembarked, all in uniforms Lloyd recognized too well. He approached Yuan's Rheaird and waited for an explanation.

"Sorry we're late," the Renegade leader said. "We had a little trouble. It seems we look like an invasion force when we all fly together like this, and some people still mistake us for the Desians."

"Late?" Lloyd asked. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that he seemed to have brought the entire group with him.

"We're not late? Oh, I'm glad to hear it. I didn't want to miss anything. I haven't attended a good party in . . . I guess it's been 4,000 years. The Summon Spirits came to that one; it was quite interesting."

"They're at this one, too," Lloyd said in a weak voice.

"Oh, good." Yuan followed the Renegades through the trees without another word.

Genis stared after them. "Lloyd, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"None."

They exchanged glances and ran back to the house.

Everyone else seemed just as disturbed by the sudden crowd of Renegades, except for Colette, who rushed from the house to greet Yuan. "Thank you for coming!"

"Thank you for the invitation."

Lloyd joined them. "But why did you bring so many people?"

Yuan frowned. "What do you mean? I received an invitation addressed to 'Yuan and the Renegades.' Was that a mistake?"

He looked so sad, Lloyd relented. "N-no, of course not . . ."

"I'm glad. Not everyone came, but those who did are really looking forward to it."

Lloyd started to sweat. This went beyond a few extra people. How was he going to break this to Regal?

A sudden gust of air and the whir of an engine announced Raine's return. The Rheaird wobbled as it landed, because while they could handle two people without trouble, the vehicles weren't built for four.

 _Four?_

Raine disembarked first and hurried over to him while Harley helped Linar and Aisha to the ground.

"Lloyd," she said, "when I spoke to Harley, he mentioned that Linar and Aisha would love to see us again and thank us for all our help. It's not a problem, is it?"

He shook his head. At this point, what did it matter?

Beside him, Colette looked depressed. "Lloyd . . . did I make a mistake when I invited the Renegades?"

"We thought it would be a small group, that's all."

"Oh." Her smile gave him a sinking feeling. "Um . . . you know how you said this was a great way to celebrate the peace between worlds?"

Lloyd rubbed his forehead. "Did you invite someone else?"

Before she could answer, a voice from the edge of the trees asked, "Is this the right place?"

"There they are!" She ran past him to greet two men and one woman, all of whom wore the robes of the Church of Martel. "I thought this was a great way to show there's no hard feelings!"

Zelos, arm in arm with one of his dates, cast the newcomers a quizzical look. "Say, what do you guys _do_ now that you're part of a false religion?"

"W-well," the priestess said, "it helps that there's a real Martel protecting the new Tree . . ."

While they debated religion, Lloyd fixed Colette with a serious stare. "That's it, right? You didn't invite anyone else, did you?"

She smiled.

"Colette . . ."

Before he could say anything else, a hesitant voice stopped him. "We aren't interrupting anything, are we? We got an invitation . . ."

"Welcome!" Colette rushed to greet five half-elves, one of whom Lloyd recognized as the elder of Exire. "Are the others coming?"

The elder shook his head. "Virginia declined. And the King of Tethe'alla sent a message asking us to pass on his regrets, but the royal delegation can't make it."

She slumped. "Aw . . ."

"However . . . Oh, here they come."

Three elves from Heimdall followed them into the clearing.

"This is wonderful!" Colette clasped her hands together and looked over her shoulder. "I think everyone's here now, Lloyd. At least, everyone I invited."

He sighed. Five citizens of Exire, three from Heimdall, all the Renegades, Zelos's girlfriends . . .

Presea appeared by his shoulder. "You appear troubled. What is wrong?"

"I'm just trying to count how many extra people came."

"Let me help you."

#

Compared to the atmosphere outdoors, the kitchen was quiet, as Dirk and Regal happily cooked for the small gathering they expected.

When Lloyd entered, Dirk looked up. "What is it?"

"Oh, well . . ." He scratched the back of his head and tried to look calm. "There were a few misunderstandings, and we're sort of having more people for dinner than we thought."

"How many more?" Regal asked.

Lloyd took a deep breath. "132."

* * *

 _Author's note: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm back for the first time in a long while with a holiday special. What wild antics will ensue?_


	2. Chapter 2: Mingling

Chapter 2: Mingling

"132?!" Regal's jaw dropped. "How do you _accidentally_ invite 132 people?"

Lloyd didn't know where to begin. He held his hands out in apology. "I think you're going to need more food."

"We're going to need more chairs," Dirk said, a look of disbelief on his face.

Regal shook his head. "We're going to need more _chefs._ I can't cook for this many people and have it ready by dinnertime."

"I can ask Genis to help," Lloyd said.

"That won't be enough. We need the Wonder Chef."

"How are we going to find him?"

"Hmm . . ." Regal rubbed his chin. "I saw him recently in Altamira. Perhaps we can send a message. I'll write a note." He reached for a pad of paper on the table.

It vanished in a puff of smoke. The Wonder Chef appeared in front of them, resplendent in green, with a giant fork in his hand. "I am the mysterious gourmet, the Wonder Chef! I—wait, didn't I already give you the ultimate recipe?"

"Over 100 people are expecting dinner today," Regal said. "Will you help us?"

The Wonder Chef chuckled. "Are they worthy of my cooking mastery?"

"Yes," Lloyd said. "Without them, we couldn't have saved the two worlds."

"Hmm . . . I would help, but there's a promising young cook in search of new recipes halfway across the globe. If you could make it another time—"

"No, we need you today!"

"Then I'm afraid I can't—"

"Hold it!" A vase in the corner of the room exploded into smoke, and a chef in blue appeared. "If you're too pathetic to make food for this event, then the task falls to me."

"Agh!" The Wonder Chef leveled his fork at the other man. "Dark Chef! What are you doing here?"

"Cooking." The Dark Chef grabbed the turkey in front of Regal and began to stuff it.

"I don't think so." The Wonder Chef snatched the mashed potatoes from Dirk.

"Too late. You gave up your chance to cook for this event."

"I will _never_ be defeated by the likes of you."

Regal blinked several times. "I'll . . . work on dessert."

"I'll get more chairs," Dirk said.

The Wonder Chef produced a turkey from his hat. On that note, Lloyd decided he didn't need a behind-the-scenes look at the cooking process, and stepped out of the house.

Into pandemonium.

Fountains spurted from the ground in places that never knew water before, courtesy of Undine. Efreet and Volt had teamed up to create fireworks, which would have been faint against the afternoon sunlight, except Shadow had covered the sky in a black haze. Luna and Aska drifted back and forth, creating the illusion of stars. Sephie, Yutis, and Fairess summoned wind to push back the branches of the nearest trees, and Celsius froze them into place with massive sheets of ice.

Most of the guests looked alarmed by all of this.

Lloyd looked around for Sheena, but she was in conversation with Verius and didn't seem to care what the rest of the Summon Spirits were up to.

"It was only a matter of time." Origin sounded both exasperated and nostalgic.

Lloyd glanced at him. " _What_ was only a matter of time?"

"Until Gnome got everyone riled up."

In the chaos, Lloyd hadn't noticed the earth spirit, who danced at the center of the clearing and beat his shovel against the ground. "C'mon, c'mon, let's party like it's 4,000 years ago!"

There had to be a bright side somewhere. Lloyd scanned the crowd until he spotted Maxwell. The old spirit sat at a table with the half-elves from Exire, who stared at him in fascination. He waved his hands as he spoke, although all he seemed to be describing was how he held the city in the air.

Well, between Maxwell, Verius, and Origin, at least some of the Summon Spirits were behaving. And it wasn't as if the others were doing anything _bad_ , exactly . . .

"Hey!" Gnome shouted. "Where's the alcohol? What sorta party is this without any alcohol?!"

Drunk Summon Spirits. Lloyd didn't even want to think about it.

Many of their unexpected guests seemed uncomfortable. Seles glared at anyone who walked near her. Linar and Aisha whispered together and glanced around as if unsure who they could safely approach. One priest and the priestess sat together and didn't make eye contact with anyone else.

The other priest, however, made an attempt to socialize. He tapped Genis on the shoulder. "Hi! I am a priest of the Church of Martel, but I want you to know I like half-elves."

A poor attempt, but at least it was an attempt.

Genis stared at the man as though he was insane. "That's, uh, nice . . ."

"I also like elves and humans. I like everyone!"

Presea interrupted and asked Genis to help her set up the additional tables, just as Zelos danced by with one of his girlfriends on his arm.

The woman—Zenora, Lloyd thought—giggled. "Dancing under a magical night sky? Oh, how romantic!"

Zelos bowed mid-step. "One of my many talents." They danced their way over to the table where the group from Heimdall sat, and he deposited her with them. "I have friends from all cultures. One of my many charms."

She fanned herself and smiled at the bemused elves. Zelos hurried to the other side of the room to join one of his other girlfriends, Lilac, whom he'd apparently left with Kochinawa.

Origin nodded. "That one. Zelos."

Lloyd glanced at him. "What about him?"

"I am trying to determine who Gnome will most easily bend to his mischief this time."

Oh good. An alliance between Zelos and Gnome, intent on "mischief," and probably with alcohol involved. That was the stuff nightmares were made of. At least no one else was likely to make trouble.

 _Bzzzap!_

"Ouch!"

On the other hand . . .

Lloyd turned toward the shout of the cry. Harley rubbed his arm and glared at the piece of machinery Altessa and Raine crouched in front of.

"That was your own fault," Altessa said. "I told you not to touch the wire."

Lloyd walked over to them. "What are you doing?"

All three jumped up together and stood in front of it, shoulder to shoulder to hide their project. As if a better look would tell him what the heap of unrelated metal objects cobbled together was supposed to be.

"It's nothing," Altessa said, at the exact same time Raine said, "It's a surprise," and Harley said, "Just an experiment."

Lloyd backed away. Let them go on with their work, whatever it was.

"Mingle!"

He jumped. Apparently he wasn't the only person who noticed how the guests formed isolated groups.

Yuan stood with his arms folded and glared at his assembled Renegades. "We are here to help make peace. That means you have to talk to people. Get out there and make small talk. That's an order!"

"Y-yes, sir . . ."

The Renegades milled about and attempted to join every other group present. Since there were so many of them, it was easy for a few to join each group. One was lucky enough to find the priest.

"I like half-elves!"

"I like humans!"

"You're a Renegade, aren't you? I like Renegades!"

"Err, the Church of Martel is fine."

They stared at one another, apparently out of conversation topics.

After a long silence, the Renegade asked, "Is this mingling?"

"I think so."

They continued to stare.

Zelos left his current girlfriend with a group of Renegades, assured her they were old friends of his, and then ran to catch Miranda.

Colette appeared at Lloyd's shoulder. "Isn't this fun?"

He rubbed his head. "I can't even keep track of what's going on."

"That's what makes it so great." She smiled. "Can you imagine these people even talking to each other a year ago, let alone having a good time? Look, even Volt is having fun!"

One of the elves, apparently able to speak Volt's language, pulled up a chair beside the lightning spirit. Volt's mood was difficult to determine, but he seemed calm enough.

All of the spirits looked like they were enjoying themselves, in fact, although He couldn't see Maxwell anymore.

Presea approached. "Dirk and I are going to get more chairs."

"The people of Iselia are going to kill us if we keep borrowing chairs," Lloyd said under his breath.

Colette clapped her hands together. "Maybe they'll join us!"

Just what they needed, an entire village on the guest list. He sighed—and snapped his head up as Maxwell returned with two massive barrels. He floated to the center of the clearing, where Gnome sat, and deposited them in front of the earth spirit.

"Oh, this'll be perfect," Gnome said.

"Hahaha, let's get this party kicking!"

Origin rushed to them so fast he knocked down a Renegade along the way. "No, no, and _no._ No alcohol! There are minors here."

In a whisper loud enough for the entire group to hear, Gnome said, "Now I know who got rid of the wine 4,000 years ago."

They got into a loud argument, Zelos snuck the barrels to safety, Efreet set off more fireworks, Altessa's machine zapped Harley again, and culinary-related insults echoed from Dirk's house.

Lloyd wondered if this was just how life would be from now on.

With a satisfied nod, Yuan walked up to him. "We should set out place cards."

"Place cards?"

"Yes, to assign seating. We don't want everyone from Exire at a table alone, for example." He handed him a list. "Here are the names of all the Renegades that came with me."

Colette beamed. "That's a wonderful idea. I'll get the names of the others."

That would be a lot of place cards to make and set up. Lloyd walked with Yuan through the group and looked for someone else who might help. Where was Genis?

There. Waylaid by one of the Exire guests, who seemed determined to engage him in conversation no matter how obviously the feeling was not reciprocated.

"But I like it here," Genis said.

"I'm just saying you should visit from time to time." The half-elf paused, then snapped his fingers. "You can make more friends! Wouldn't you like to have some half-elf friends your own age?"

Genis drooped and stared at the ground. "Sure . . ."

Lloyd rescued him. "Hey, can you help us with something?"

"Okay!"

Once they were a safe distance away, he took a good look at his friend. "Are you all right? You seem down."

"I'm fine."

"Well, okay, if you're sure." Lloyd handed him the original guest list. "Can you help us make place cards for the tables? Yuan thinks it would be a good idea."

"All right."

They sat at one of the tables and got to work. Colette arrived a moment later with the remaining names, and Yuan helped as well. With all four of them working together, it didn't take long to make a card for each person.

Then they arranged them. Since there were so _many_ Renegades compared to everyone else, Yuan conceded that a few could be clustered together. They gave each Summon Spirit a seat, although Lloyd wasn't sure if they'd all sit at the table. As they worked, Zelos joined them and cleared his throat.

After a moment, he cleared his throat a little louder.

Lloyd glanced at him. "Yes?"

"Are you arranging the seats?"

"Yes . . ."

"Okay." He slung an arm across Lloyd's shoulders and pulled him close so he could whisper. "Make sure Miranda, Lilac, and Zenora are all at different tables." He paused. "And don't put any of them near Seles." He frowned. "And, uh, maybe they shouldn't be near Sheena, either."

"Where do you want to sit?" Lloyd asked.

He hesitated. "I don't suppose you could give me three chairs, one by—"

"No."

"All right, all right. Put me by Sheena."

"Really? You don't want to sit with one of your dates?"

"If I do, the others might get suspicious."

And they wouldn't worry if he sat by Sheena? Well, if it was what he wanted, fine. Lloyd walked to the seat where he'd put Sheena's place card, picked up the name of a Renegade from the seat beside hers, and replaced it with Zelos's.

"Thanks, bud. You're the greatest."

This was going to turn into a disaster, wasn't it? As Zelos walked away, Lloyd looked at the place cards again. With the swap, he'd put Zelos right across from Gnome. He thought about what Origin said earlier and quickly moved Gnome's place to a different table. Then he double-checked to make sure Volt was by the elf who spoke his language.

It took far longer than it should have, but at last they had a seat assigned for everyone. Presea and Dirk returned with the additional chairs. Slowly, despite the chaos, things were starting to come together.

Lloyd let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't what he expected when they planned this dinner, but maybe they could pull it off.

Murmurs started near the trees. He looked, and drew in a sharp breath. He'd relaxed too soon.

At the edge of the icy entrance Celsius and Sylph had created, two newcomers peeked in at the group. But what worried him wasn't the arrival of more uninvited guests. And it wasn't that they were half-elves.

It was that they both wore Desian uniforms.


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner

Chapter 3: Dinner

The two Desians didn't look particularly violent. They seemed more curious than anything else. Lloyd passed through the murmuring group of guests and walked to the entrance. Both newcomers edged back and gave him nervous smiles.

Definitely not violent. But what were they _doing_ there? If Colette sent them invitations . . .

"Um." The male Desian stopped smiling. "Maybe we should leave."

"He doesn't look happy to see us," the female Desian agreed.

"We're sorry."

As they shuffled away, Lloyd shouted, "Wait!"

They returned so fast, they almost tripped over each other.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Who are you?"

They exchanged glances, and the man spoke first. "My name's Argus. I used to work at Rodyle's ranch. I, uh . . ." He turned red. "I guess I overslept when we were supposed to leave with Lord Kratos."

"Flavia, worked at Welgaia, went AWOL."

Her companion scowled at her. "Stop saying that. That's why you can't get another job, because you keep putting 'went AWOL' in the description of your past work history."

"No, I really think 'security inspector for Vinheim' just isn't very credible to people these days."

"Give it a try. Next time say you 'quit because of irreconcilable differences.'"

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Lloyd. "Anyway, we heard you were having a dinner to celebrate peace."

"Peace for everyone," Argus said.

"And we hoped maybe that meant former Desians, too."

He sniffed. "Is that turkey?"

Flavia leaned over Lloyd's shoulder. "And pie?!"

"Err, yes." He looked at them for a long moment and sighed. Two more chairs, two more place cards, two more unexpected guests he had to warn Regal and the chefs about. "All right, you can come."

"Really?" Argus asked. "You mean . . . even though we're enemies, we're welcome?"

Colette stepped up next to Lloyd. "Of course!" She looked like this was the best thing that could have happened. "Everyone's welcome!"

"You're sure about that?" the woman asked.

"Yes!"

She looked back over her shoulder. "Come on out, Dennis, it's okay!"

And of all things, a white-winged angel drifted out from beneath the trees to join them.

"An angel?" Colette asked.

" _Dennis_?" Lloyd asked.

The two Desians looked faintly embarrassed. "We found him wandering around," Argus said. "No idea why he wasn't on Derris-Kharlan with the others. As far as we know, he doesn't talk, and everyone who saw him kinda ran away or attacked him, so we took him in."

"And we needed to call him something," the woman said. "What's wrong with the name Dennis?"

"Nothing." Colette reached out for the angel's hand. "Come on, you're welcome too."

He blinked at her. "A seraphim-class angel?"

"Whoa!" Flavia took a step back. "Dennis spoke!"

Colette stared at him and shook her head. "No, no, I'm not one of the seraphim."

The angel looked down at the ground, and his wings slumped.

"Aw, no, if you're going to be sad about it, fine, I'm a seraphim-class angel!"

That seemed to cheer him up, although with his limited range of emotions, it was hard to tell. He followed Colette toward the table, and the two Desians cheerfully trotted after them. Lloyd stared and wondered how a simple dinner party could get this out of hand this soon.

#

Impossibly, they got everyone seated and ready to go by the time Regal, the Wonder Chef, and the Dark Chef emerged with the food. The seating arrangement seemed to have worked out, although Altessa's seat was unoccupied, as he crouched by his mysterious project.

The dwarf hurried to the table and whispered something to Raine and Harley. All three exchanged matching smiles.

Regal raised his eyebrows. "What are you up to?"

"It's a surprise," they said in unison.

"Whatever it is, it uses Cruxis tech," Flavia said. At their sharp glares, the Desian put her hands in the air. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice."

Colette stood and cleared her throat. "Before we eat, we should take a moment to give thanks. I'm thankful that we reunited the two worlds, and I'm thankful I'm alive and here with everyone. And I'm thankful so many of you came today, and I'm thankful I can count all of you among my friends! Lloyd?"

He blinked. "What?"

"It's your turn."

He stared at her and then said, "I . . . I'm thankful to see so many different people here together. Humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, Summon Spirits . . . we're all together, and that's great."

The moment he finished, Zelos jumped from his seat. From his slurred voice, Lloyd guessed he made good use of the barrels of alcohol Maxwell brought. "I'm thankful for my hunnies."

Sheena smacked her forehead. "Idiot."

They went around the table, with varying degrees of depth—the Desians were thankful for a chance to prove themselves, Yuan was thankful they revived the Tree, Presea was thankful she could live a normal life again, the Wonder Chef was thankful he beat the Dark Chef in the contest, the Dark Chef was thankful he beat the Wonder Chef in the contest . . .

On and on they went. Even the Summon Spirits had something to add. Only Genis seemed a little down, with a simple, "I'm thankful for my friends," that didn't match his glum expression. He didn't meet Lloyd's inquisitive gaze. What was up with him?

Once everyone in the entire massive gathering said what they were thankful for, it was time to eat. The chefs and Regal outdid themselves, with enough turkey for everyone, as well as mashed potatoes, vegetables, and—as Flavia correctly identified when she arrived—several pumpkin pies.

Conversations resumed during dinner, and Lloyd realized he'd placed himself in the middle of a group of Renegades, along with one of the Desians. He searched for something to talk about.

"You fight with two swords, don't you?" the Renegade on his right said. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," he said, relieved for a conversation topic. "It's my preferred style."

"I've never used a sword, because I've always thought magic—"

"Oh, no, no, no." Argus shook his head and leaned across Lloyd's arm to take a better look at the Renegade. "Don't rely on magic, you should rely on science."

"I don't know about that." Undine frowned down the table at them. "Can science really overcome the power of a Summon Spirit?"

"I get on fine with my swords," Lloyd said.

Despite the differing opinions, it turned into a friendly debate that lasted through dinner. Everyone else seemed to get along, too. Zelos somehow managed to communicate with his girlfriends without any of them noticing, although Sheena smacked him five times.

As the Wonder Chef passed out slices of pie for dessert, the elf who understood Volt cleared her throat. "Excuse me . . ."

"Hey!" Lloyd shouted to quiet everyone down. Then he turned to the elf. "What is it?"

"Volt would like me to ask a question. For those of you who attended the party 4,000 years ago, who started dancing on the table?"

Silence fell over the guests.

Celsius waved her hand dismissively. "Easy. Kratos Aurion."

Lloyd choked. Yuan inhaled part of his pie and went into a coughing fit.

The elf translated for Volt, who responded. Then she smiled at the ice spirit. "He thanks you."

Yuan stopped coughing and waved his hands. "Wait a minute! I don't remember this."

"Of course _you_ didn't see," Gnome said. "You were too busy making out with Martel."

He turned scarlet. "I was not!"

"Sure you were."

"I was _not._ "

"Guys?"

The other Summon Spirits nodded in confirmation. The elf translated for Volt, and even he gave a slight buzz of agreement.

Yuan turned redder, stared down at his plate, and didn't make eye contact with anyone.

Raine frowned. "Regardless of Yuan's activities, I find it hard to picture Kratos dancing on anything, let alone a table."

Gnome cleared his throat. "Here's what happened."

"Oh no," Sheena said.

Lloyd glanced at her.

"From what the other spirits have told me, it's never a good sign when Gnome begins a story with 'here's what happened.'"

The earth spirit raised his voice and spoke over her. "Right, so we were having this great party, sort of a 'hurrah, we saved the world' party, and Kratos was being a real stick-in-the-mud."

Colette put a hand over her mouth and giggled.

"So, it's a party, and this guy is sitting all stiff and serious, and every time we—by the way, when I say _we_ , I'm not counting Yuan and Martel, because they were busy, if you know what I mean."

The Renegade leader looked like he wanted to hide under the table.

"Every time we tried to talk to him, he'd get all grumpy and tell us it wasn't over yet, we couldn't celebrate until we actually revived the Tree, blah blah blah."

Origin stared at him. "In retrospect, he was absolutely right, and you're making fun of him about it?"

"Look, if your whole world's gonna fault to pieces, have a big party the night before, that's what I always say. Now are you gonna let me tell the story, or not?"

One of Zelos's girlfriends—Lilac—smiled at Gnome. "I find your story delightful. Please continue."

"Aw, thanks . . ."

Zelos frowned like he thought he might have to fight the earth spirit.

"Where was I? Oh, stick-in-the-mud Kratos. Yeah, he just wouldn't relax or smile or anything, it was really dragging down the mood, you know? So Mithos and I spiked his drink."

Yuan's jaw dropped. "That's terrible!"

"Hey, don't complain. As I recall, the conversation went something like this." Gnome cleared his throat and returned with a surprisingly passable impression of Mithos's voice. "'Yuan? _Yuan?_ YUAN!' 'Aw, kid, don't hit him, at least they're having a good time. Let's go harass Kratos.'"

Yuan turned red again, and Origin threw his hands in the air like he'd given up on the entire universe.

Zelos grinned at the half-elf. "Maybe I misjudged you. We ought to get together sometime, exchange some tips."

"Shut up."

"Aw, embarrassed at being outed as a ladies' man?"

"I'm going to kill you, Zelos."

"But— _ouch!_ " Zelos frowned at Sheena.

She looked at her plate with an expression of absolute innocence.

Gnome let out a long, melodramatic sigh. "C'mon guys, you didn't even let me tell the best part."

"There's more?" Genis asked.

"Yeah." The spirit waited, either to make sure everyone was paying attention or just for a dramatic pause. "We couldn't actually find any wine . . . so we spiked his drink with _grape juice._ " He roared with laughter. "And then he stared dancing on the table! From grape juice!"

The two Desians looked mortified by the whole story, as if this perspective on the Seraphim was too much for them to handle. For Lloyd's part, he couldn't imagine it actually happening the way Gnome told it.

"Did I come too late?" a new voice asked.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

The Summon Spirit Martel walked in cautiously with a friendly smile.

"Oh, this won't be awkward at all," Yuan said, and hid his face.

The priests and priestess looked like they might pass out. For that matter, the Desians appeared nearly as bad, and Altessa seemed uncomfortable.

Colette came to the rescue and jumped up. "I'm so glad you came! Everyone's welcome, come sit with us!"

A little rearranging resulted in a seat next between the Wonder Chef and Seles, and she sat down.

After a few minutes, everyone started talking again, and Lloyd relaxed. For all the insanity of setting it up, this wasn't such a bad gathering. Regal stood and collected the dishes. With his departure from the table an apparent cue, Altessa beckoned to Raine and Harley, and all three returned to their work.

Lloyd looked around at the others: Zelos's girlfriends, who cast one another suspicious looks, Colette, who cheerfully kept up a one-sided conversation with silent Dennis, Martel, who seemed happy enough to talk to anyone, Genis—who slipped away from the table.

He watched for a moment, curious, but when his friend left the area around Dirk's house and entered the Iselia Forest, he decided he better follow.

Lloyd got up with a quiet, "Excuse me" to the people around him—the debate about swords versus magic versus science had begun again, so they barely acknowledged his departure—and headed past the edge of frozen trees.

Just where the forest became its normal self again, Genis stood alone.

"You all right?" Lloyd asked.

He jumped. "I'm fine."

"Come on, I can tell something's bothering you."

Genis looked at the ground. "It's stupid."

Lloyd put his hand on his shoulder. "You're my best friend. If something's bothering you, it's not stupid."

"Thanks, Lloyd." He sighed, but didn't look up. "It's just . . . with everyone together, and all the people who came . . . Part of me . . . kinda expected Mithos to show up."

"Genis . . ."

"I know it's impossible, but I still hoped . . . I wish . . ." He sighed again and hung his head. "Everyone's so happy. Why couldn't he be here, to be happy with us?"

"I know what you mean," Lloyd said. "I wish it worked out differently, too."

"What happens . . . when someone dies?"

"Huh?"

"I mean . . ." Genis wiped his eyes. "Is he . . . just _gone_?"

Footsteps behind them made them both jump, but it was Colette.

"I heard what you were talking about." She joined them and folded her hands. "I still believe souls exist after death. I believe he's watching over us somewhere. Maybe even right now!"

Was that actually a comforting thought? Lloyd decided not to say anything.

"He'd be happy to know you care," she said.

Genis smiled. "Thanks, Colette. And thanks, Lloyd, for coming after me."

"Don't mention it. You're my best friend."

They stood there together in silence and remembered the dead.

Zelos's loud voice shattered the moment. "What are you guys doing? Come on! Lloyd, Colette, we need you for the race."

Lloyd turned around and folded his arms. "Race?"

Zelos threw his hands in the air like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The angel race! Everyone with wings, follow me!"


	4. Chapter 4: Conversations

Chapter 4: Conversations

More than a little confused, Lloyd led the others after Zelos back into the clearing, where Gnome sat beside a makeshift finish line drawn in the dirt.

Dennis floated near the finish line, looking vaguely lost. The two Desians stood nearby as if they thought they might have to rescue him.

"Line up!" Zelos shouted.

Colette ran to join them. "This will be fun!"

Lloyd approached the finish line more slowly. "I don't know…"

From the table, shouts broke out. Yuan fought against Zelos as he dragged him toward the finish line. "Let go of me, you stupid Chosen!"

"Come on," Zelos said, "lighten up."  
"I will _not_ participate in this nonsense!" He fought every step of the way, until Zelos deposited him next to Dennis and took his own position.

"Ready everyone?"

"Wait!" The three Sylph spirits floated up to them, and Sephie frowned. "We want to participate too."

"No. Uh-uh." He folded his arms. "Angels only."

"Why? We have wings."

"Because it's my race, and I—"

"Aw," Colette said, "let them race."

He sighed and threw his hands in the air. "If my little angel Colette wants them in the race, then I must comply. Oh, the things I do for my hunnies."

Lloyd fought the urge to smack his forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sheena smack hers.

"Are we ready _now_?" Zelos asked. "Then get set . . . Go!"

Everyone except Yuan took off into the air. Zelos had set up pairs of colored flags for them to fly through. Lloyd still wasn't entirely used to his wings, and fell to last place almost immediately. Colette flew straight into a flag. She dropped back.

The Sylph spirits fared better, but the flags were placed at unusual points along the course, which forced them to pause and reorient themselves mid-flight.

Zelos flew through each set with ease, as if he already knew where they'd be. And Dennis reacted to them with uncanny speed. Before long, they were far ahead of the others.

The race course led them in a large loop around Dirk's house and through the surrounding forest, until finally they returned to the finish line. Yuan stood with folded arms and an irritated expression.

Lloyd and the others landed in time for Zelos to proclaim victory.

"Of course," Zelos said, with a wink at the assembled guests, "what else would you expect from the Chosen?"

Yuan's scowl deepened. "I'd expect a little common decency!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He pointed at Dennis. "He won."

"He did not!"

"I was standing right here, I saw him land first." The Renegade shook his head. "You clearly rigged the entire race so you'd win, and now that someone got through your trick, you're lying about it?"

Zelos held his hands in the air. "All right, fine. Ready for your prize, Dennis?" He walked to the table where he sat for dinner, ducked beneath it, and emerged with a box. A few bottles and tubes stuck out from the top. He handed it to the angel. "Here you go, a year's supply of hair product."

Silence filled the gathering.

Yuan finally broke it. " _Hair product_? The prize for the race was _hair product_?"

"Why not?" Zelos fluffed the edge of his hair. "It's expensive to keep your hair this nice."

"Wouldn't it have been better to pick a more general gift that anyone could enjoy?"

He shrugged. "Oh well, if he doesn't want it, I guess I'll take it back." He reached for the box.

Dennis tightened his grip.

"Come on, you're not going to use it, so give it to me."

As he reached for it, the angel backed away, still holding the box.

Zelos glared at him. "Are you _seriously_ going to style your hair?" He lunged forward.

"Go away!" Dennis jumped a foot in the air and fluttered backwards, arms still around the box.

Lloyd stepped in between them. "Just let him have it, Zelos, before you trigger some kind of . . . attack protocol."

"Over _hair product_?"

"It's all right," Colette said to the angel, who defensively guarded his prize. "It's yours. No one's going to take it from you."

"That's right," the two Desians said in unison, with matching glares for Zelos.

He sighed. "Fine."

Yuan shook his head. "I can't believe this. Not only did you rig the race and lie about who won, but you picked a prize you thought the winner would return, and when he _didn't_ want to return it, tried to steal it! How low can you get?"

"Shut up, Yuan," Zelos said. "You're just jealous because _I_ was a triple agent and _you_ were only a double agent."

Yuan threw his hands in the air and walked away. Raine, Altessa, and Harley quickly beckoned him over to their project. He frowned down at the device with almost as much skepticism as he showed to Zelos.

The uncomfortable silence that followed was broken by the Wonder Chef jumping into the air. "It's time for dessert!"

Lloyd blinked. "Didn't we already have dessert?"

"Don't argue," Genis said, on his way toward the house, "just help us get the new pies on the table."

#

With more pie available, the awkwardness faded. Lloyd sat with Genis and two of the Renegades. Zelos's girlfriend Miranda sat down next to Genis, and Sheena took the seat across from her.

Lloyd glanced around. Across the room, Seles was situated near one of the other girlfriends, Zenora. It could be a coincidence. On the other hand, Zelos might be in a lot of trouble if he got Sheena and Seles to work together.

As Zelos strolled by, Miranda reached out to grab his sleeve. "Zelos, darling, sit with me!"

He gave Sheena a warning stare and sat down. "Anything for you."

"Darling, what did you mean when you told the Renegade leader you were a triple agent?"

Zelos put his hand over his heart. "You mean you haven't heard the story of how I risked life and limb by infiltrating the heart of Cruxis itself?"

"I haven't! Oh, please tell me!"

Sheena groaned.

Genis leaned close to Lloyd. "I have a feeling this is going to end in disaster."

"Me too."

He looked around for Zelos's remaining girlfriend. Lilac had gone to sit by Gnome, and the two were engaged in animated conversation.

"Oh we pulled some _great_ pranks," the Summon Spirit said. "One time, there was this girl making eyes at Yuan. Well, we couldn't have that! So I disrupted the earth, just a tiny bit, and dislodged an anthill. Would you believe those ants couldn't find a better place to make their new home than in the girl's bed?"

Lilac laughed.

"GNOME!"

"Bye Origin," Gnome said. "This is a private conversation, 'kay?"

"That was a terrible thing to do."

"Oh come on, they were just ants. Not even fire ants!" He leaned close to Lilac. "Personally, I thought that would be funnier, but that's where Mithos drew the line."

Origin scowled and left to talk to Efreet, who had become more creative with the fireworks. He seemed to be trying to blast a hole in Shadow's false night sky.

At least everyone else was getting along. The Summon Spirits integrated with the group better than Lloyd expected and had the most luck getting the Heimdall elves to participate. The guests from Exire were slowly adjusting to at least the Renegades.

And the two Desians had lost all awkwardness with the others.

"Here's the thing," Argus said to three young Renegades seated with him. "If you get in trouble, miss an appointment, oversleep, or whatever, just say you did it for science. That's what I always do."

Presea gave him a skeptical look. "I am not so certain that will work."

"It's a sure-fire strategy. 'I'm sorry I didn't attend the meeting, I was working on SCIENCE!' 'I know we aren't allowed to bring pets into the ranch, but it was FOR SCIENCE!' I got _promotions_ that way!"

"Yes, but you worked for Rodyle."

At the next table, Flavia gave Colette a hug. "Thank you, thank you so much. Just say it was really difficult to get into Vinheim, like the security was super-tight and you almost died a thousand times, okay?"

Across from them, Regal frowned. "Wouldn't it be easier to ask _Yuan_ for a recommendation letter? As part of Cruxis, he was technically your superior for a time."

"Oh, no!" She gasped and covered her mouth. "I can't ask him!"

"Why not?" Colette asked.

"I've always been terrified of the Four Seraphim. Something about them just… eek…"

Colette and Regal exchanged glances.

"Then how did you work at Vinheim?" he asked.

Flavia waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, that's easy. I sent daily reports by carrier pigeon."

Meanwhile, Zelos's story had somehow advanced to include a Rheaird-based dogfight with Mithos.

"So I fired my lasers," Zelos said, "which I had specially equipped on my Rheaird as a perk for being a superspy, and—"

"Hey superspy," Sheena said, "I have a question."

"What?"

"If you both had _wings_ , why did you need the Rheairds?"

He gaped at her. "Duh! Style!" He turned back to Miranda. "Anyway, so we were having this very stylish dogfight—I was the most stylish, of course." He flipped his hair and winked.

Miranda fanned herself. Sheena smacked her forehead.

From where she sat with Seles, Zenora cast them suspicious looks.

Lilac, however, was still fascinated by Gnome.

"When did Mithos stop drawing moral lines?" the Summon Spirit asked. "I assume it was about the same time he lost his sense of humor."

She glanced toward Origin.

"Oh, he's different. He never _had_ a sense of humor."

Origin had given up trying to stop the fireworks and instead hovered near Altessa, Raine, Harley, and Yuan, who hammered pieces of their device together.

Colette started styling Dennis's hair.

Zelos jumped onto his chair to better demonstrate the next part of the story. "Then, through the lasers, what did I see but an approaching tornado!"

And Gnome moved onto practical advice. "If you're going to prank people, here's the thing you don't want to do. And I mean really, really, like 'don't try this at home,' 'don't try this without adult supervision,' 'don't try this _with_ adult supervision' levels of don't do it. Never, ever—ever, ever, _ever_ —play a prank on an angel who traded in his sense of humor for psychopathic rage. I mean, _yikes_. No. Never again."

Zelos took another drink and pirouetted from his chair to grab it like it was his Rheaird. "I plunged into the depths of the tornado, secure in the knowledge that my expert piloting skills could get me through the other side."

"Wow," Miranda said.

"Yeah," Sheena said. "Wow is right. It's amazing we need the Eternal Sword at all, with you on our side."

He shot her a glare and put his arm around Miranda. "Maybe we should finish this story in private."

Lloyd looked around for Zelos's other dates. Zenora was talking to Seles—possibly a bad sign, but at least she wasn't watching—and Lilac continued to learn tips from Gnome.

"The best person to prank," Gnome said, "is someone who will get upset, but won't kill you. Like Yuan. Playing pranks on him was the _best_!"

She cast a glance in the Renegade leader's direction and burst out laughing.

"Zelos seems like a good choice, too. Just look at him there, boasting to his girlfriend."

Her laughter stopped. "His what?"

Lloyd leaned closer to Zelos. "Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Later, Lloyd! I'm in the middle of a story here. Okay, so I made it through the tornado—"

Lilac didn't look happy. Worse, from the way she gestured toward Zenora, she'd figured the rest out. Lloyd strained to hear them.

"Okay," Gnome said. "You want to make a scene, or get revenge?"

"Revenge!"

"Right then, here's what we do . . ."

"Zelos," Lloyd said, "I really think you should listen to me."

He sighed and stopped his dramatic account of how he dodged lightning bolts in mid-air. "What _is_ it?"

Before he could speak, Raine shouted, "It's finished! We did it!"

Everyone looked toward the little group and their mysterious device.

Harley picked it up and set it on one of the tables. "It's not a very sophisticated design, but we've replicated a holographic transmitter in portable form."

"What does that mean?" Genis asked.

"It means," Altessa said, "we can contact Derris-Kharlan from here." He shrugged. "It's the closest we'll get to having Kratos here. We thought he deserved this dinner as much as anyone."


	5. Chapter 5: To Be Thankful

Chapter 5: To Be Thankful

Lloyd stared at Altessa in shock. Of all things, he hadn't expected to be able to contact Kratos from the party.

"Here," Harley said. "All we have to do is press wind this lever, press this button, and . . ."

He and the others looked decidedly self-satisfied as they set up the machine. Even though it looked like it was about to fall apart at any second, it whirred and hummed, and soon a holographic image emitted from it.

The person on the other end wasn't Kratos, but a half-elf who stared at them in confusion. Harley stared right back at him.

Yuan stepped in front of the machine and cleared his throat. "Is Kratos there?"

"Oh! Yes. Uh . . ." The half-elf continued to stare.

Lloyd could only imagine what the scene looked like on the other end. From the bewildered look on the man's face, it was clear that much more than just Yuan and Harley was being transmitted.

"I'll . . . go find him." The image disappeared.

Zelos weaved his way closer to the machine and paused by Lilac. "Kratos is a close personal friend of mine, you know."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Is that so?"

Lloyd looked around. Miranda and Zenora were talking to Gnome and Seles. He ran to catch Zelos. "Uh, Zelos . . ."

In front of the machine, a hologram of Kratos appeared. Under his breath, he said, "He wasn't kidding. It really is a mob with rampaging Summon Spirits . . ."

Yuan scowled. "We went through a lot of trouble to bring you to this party! Show a little appreciation!"

Kratos frowned. "Party?"

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "To celebrate our victory and the united worlds."

"It's a thanksgiving!" Colette added.

His eyes widened. "And you let the Summon Spirits attend?"

"Well," Sheena said, "they seemed so eager."

Kratos leaned forward. "Who won the elevator race?"

"The what?" Lloyd and Colette asked in unison.

Zelos waved his hands. "Get with the times, Kratos. We did an angel race, and I—"

"—did not win," Yuan cut him off with a glare.

Kratos nodded. "And I suppose Gnome is . . ."

"That's right," Gnome said. "I'm here. Having a great time!"

Yuan looked from the Summon Spirit to the hologram and then blurted, "Kratos, did you really dance on the table at our party 4,000 years ago?"

He reddened. "That was not my fault."

"We know," Sheena said. "Gnome told us all about how he and Mithos spiked your drink with grape juice."

"It was an unfair trick, and I'd rather not—grape juice?"

"Grape juice," Gnome said.

Kratos stared. "But . . . then why did I . . . _grape juice?_ "

While he fumbled, everyone crowded around the table to see him, except for Flavia, who lingered at the edge of the group.

" _Grape juice_?" he asked yet again.

Lloyd decided to rescue him. "So, how are things going on Derris-Kharlan?"

"Well enough," he said. A hint of a smile suggested he was grateful for the change of subject. "We're getting along, although there have been a few odd incidents."

"Odd incidents?" Lloyd asked.

"I found . . ." Kratos rubbed his forehead. "This will sound ridiculous, but I found a lost pigeon with a resignation letter tied to its leg."

Regal nodded as though this made perfect sense. "Resignations can be very strange."

"I doubt anything can top this one," Kratos said. "It read, 'Daily report: All is well, sir. No sign of intruders, sir. Security is tight as can be, sir. And your body just arrived without you NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!'"

Flavia coughed and hid behind Sheena and Lilac.

"I'm not entirely sure what the letter means," Kratos said, "but at least the pigeon seems happy."

Over his shoulder, a face appeared in the hologram and peered at them with curiosity. Kratos turned and frowned, and the face vanished. It was replaced a minute later with another curious onlooker.

He sighed. "I don't know what to do with the angels from Welgaia. They aren't used to this much change. Now they're"—two more angels paused to peek out at the group—"curious"—they left and another appeared—"about everything out of the ordinary."

"I think that's wonderful," Colette said. "They deserve a chance at a normal life. Even if they are, uh, lifeless."

"If that's possible for them."

"I'm sure it is." She smiled at Dennis, whose hair she'd teased and twisted into a tall spiral on his head, kept in place with hairspray and gel.

Kratos's eyes widened. "What is _that_?"

"This is Dennis," she said. "He won the race!"

Lloyd stepped up beside them. "He sort of . . . showed up for dinner. Don't worry, he's friendly."

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Kratos said. "Some angels didn't leave with us like they were supposed to. We also have a few missing Desians."

Argus tore his fascinated gaze away from the machine and backed up.

Too late. Kratos frowned and folded his arms. "Wait, that's one of them! Didn't you work at Rodyle's ranch?"

The former Desian froze. He looked from side to side.

"Why didn't you leave with the rest of us?"

"I, uh . . ."

"I tried to account for everyone," Kratos said, "and I couldn't find any clues about what happened to you."

"It's okay," Lloyd said. "He came to make peace."

"He's Dennis's friend," Colette said.

"SCIENCE!" Argus fled to hide behind the Wonder Chef.

Kratos shook his head. "I suppose it's all right. There's nothing we can do about it now."

True. Derris-Kharlan was traveling away from the planet. They couldn't turn it around to get the rogue Desians. It would be a long, long time before Derris-Kharlan was that close again. Lloyd swallowed. Kratos—his _father_ —would probably never set foot on the planet again. They'd never talk in person. He ought to make this conversation count. Someday it would be too late, and he'd be like Genis, longing for a reunion that could never happen.

"I'm glad you could make it," Lloyd said. "Uh, not 'make it,' but talk to us like this."

"I'm glad too," Kratos said.

Not a bad start.

"I wish—"

A horrendous clang wrenched him from the conversation, and he turned. The Dark Chef stopped banging his fork against the dishes and said, "Do you really want an audience for this?"

The Wonder Chef scowled at his nemesis. "How heartless can you be, to interrupt a father-son bonding moment like that?"

"Father-son bonding moments should be private!"

A few murmured voices from the crowd asked, "Son?" and Lloyd turned red as some of the guests regarded him with new interest.

"That's right!" Zelos slung his arm across Lloyd's shoulders. "My best bud here is the son of Kratos!" He released him and strolled toward the hologram. "And you know what, Kratos? I don't believe Gnome's story about you."

Kratos frowned. "Why?"

"I've been trying for hours now," he said, his words slurred together, "and I've come to the conclusion that angels . . . can't get drunk."

"But Zelos," Presea said, "you are completely inebriated."

"Am not."

One of the priests interrupted with an awed tone. "Kratos—Lord Kratos? Mr. Kratos?—whatever you like to be called, could you answer some religious questions for us?"

"I don't think so," Kratos said.

He slumped. "But . . . who should we ask, then?"

Zelos raised his hand. "I—"

" _Not_ him," Yuan said with a scowl.

Martel walked up to join them. "I could help, but any of the Summon Spirits would be just as helpful."

"Except that one." Origin pointed toward Gnome.

"Aw, Origin, c'mon, give me a little credit."

Lloyd glanced at the protesting spirit and froze.

"Uh-oh," Genis said under his breath.

Gnome stood with Lilac, Miranda, Zenora, Sheena, and Seles. They all wore identical smirks, as if they shared a private joke. And if Zelos's girlfriends had a private joke with Sheena and Seles, it was probably a very bad sign.

"What should we do?" Lloyd whispered.

Genis shrugged. "It's his own fault for bringing three dates."

"I can't just let him suffer . . . whatever it is they're planning." Lloyd sighed and pushed forward through the group to reach Zelos, who was drunkenly attempting to assert himself as an expert on religion. "Zelos, can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Later."

"It's important."

He sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "How important?"

"Very important."

"Oh, fine." He made his apologies to the confused priest and stepped away. "What is it?"

"Your—"

"Hey Lloyd, could you get me my drink first?"

"What?"

Zelos pointed to the table where he'd sat previously. "It's right over there."

"Could you stop drinking for a minute?"

"I've stopped drinking for _several_ minutes, that's why I want it now!"

"But—"

"Get me my drink and I'll listen to anything you have to say."

Lloyd groaned and hurried back to the table. He grabbed the cup, ran back to Zelos, and shoved it in his hand.

"Thanks."

"Now will you listen to me?"

Zelos held up one finger and took a long drink from his cup. Then he froze. The cup dropped to the ground. A wheezing cough burst from him, and he doubled over. "I'm . . . on fire! What happened"—his hoarse voice grew fainter with each word—"to my drink?"

"Oh no," Miranda said. "Is something wrong?"

Lloyd jumped as the trio strode up to them.

"Did something happen to his drink?" Lilac asked, humor evident in her tone despite mock concern.

Zelos blinked at them through watering eyes. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was another cough.

"My goodness," Zenora said, "one would almost think his liquor was replaced by hot pepper juice, but how could that happen?"

He coughed and spluttered a little longer, then looked at Lloyd. "What's the big idea?"

" _Me_?" Lloyd asked. "No, I didn't—"

Zelos lunged forward and tackled him.

He hit the ground with a yelp, and rolled to the side before the drunken man's wild punches could connect with him. "Zelos!"

"I trusted you!" His fist hit the ground, and he lurched to the side. "And what do I get for my trust? Fiery pain!"

Lloyd stood just as Zelos lunged again. His head smashed into the other man's chin.

"And a broken jaw!" Zelos staggered backward, one hand on his jaw. "That's it, Lloyd! Now you're gonna get it!"

"That was an accident!"

Zelos charged. Lloyd stepped out of the way, and Zelos sailed past him. A second later, however, he tackled Lloyd from behind and got him in a stranglehold.

"Ack—get off!"

"All right!" Gnome cheered. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

From the hologram, Kratos frowned. "What are you doing to my son? Leave him alone."

Lloyd wrenched Zelos off of him and tossed him to the side. "If you'd just _listen_ —"

Genis's voice interrupted him. "Lloyd, look out!"

Surprised, he turned. Zelos was stumbling around, no threat . . . but their fight must have awoken some deep-rooted commands within Dennis, who charged toward them with a battle-cry. Lloyd jumped out of the way, but Zelos wasn't as quick. The angel grabbed his shoulders and began pummeling him.

"Agh!" Zelos flailed under his blows. "I'm sorry about the hair product, okay?"

"No, no, no!" Colette ran toward them. "You can't do that, Dennis." On the way, she tripped and crashed into one of the Renegades. They both fell.

Growing murmurs spread through the gathered guests. They seemed to be debating whether or not they should escape before the battle got any worse.

"Everyone calm down," Raine said, but her protests were drowned out by the worried conversation and the sounds of the fight.

Lloyd darted forward to try to separate Zelos and Dennis. With no real ideas, he grabbed the angel's arm.

And received a punch in the jaw for his efforts.

While he tried to think of another plan, Flavia pushed past him and urged Dennis away, though she glanced over her shoulder from time to time as if afraid Kratos would see her. The angel calmed down, but still seemed on edge.

Zelos looked rough—hair tangled, face scratched, eyes still watering from the hot pepper juice. His pained gaze landed on Lloyd. "This is all your fault!"

Lloyd backpedaled, but not before Zelos swung at him again. He gritted his teeth. This was ridiculous. If he needed to knock sense into him, so be it. He punched Zelos in the nose.

"Agh! Okay, Lloyd, this time you're _really_ gonna get it!"

As they fought, he was dimly aware of the conversations around them: Colette moralizing to Dennis, half the guests still wondering if they should escape, Regal debating ancient cooking duels with the two chefs—wait, really? why?—Genis trying to convince the half-elves from Exire not to leave just yet, an occasional desperate "SCIENCE!" from Argus, and—

Martel's voice cut through the chaos. "Stop it, now."

They stopped. Zelos stepped away.

The Summon Spirit stood at the center of the clearing and frowned at them. "You reunited the two worlds to bring about peace. This dinner was meant to celebrate that, and to be thankful for it. How can you tarnish it by fighting?"

"Well spoken," Kratos said.

Zelos coughed. "Guess I got a little carried away." He held out his hand. "No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings." Lloyd accepted his handshake.

Genis looked down at the ground. "But if we can't even have a gathering to celebrate peace without someone fighting . . . maybe there can't ever be true peace . . ."

"I don't think that's true," Colette said. "Maybe this is actually a good sign."

Lloyd rubbed his aching jaw. "How?"

She smiled and looked around at everyone. "Think about who we have gathered here. Humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, Summon Spirits, angels . . . even Renegades and Desians. But were the groups that have hated each other for so long the ones fighting? No. It was humans." She paused. "Or angels, depending on how you look at it." She folded her hands in front of her. "And if we can reach the point where we fight one another over misunderstanding and silly disagreements, instead of who we are or where we came from, I think that's a step toward lasting peace."

No one said anything for a moment. Quiet murmur filled the clearing as people considered her words. A few nodded.

Then Gnome said, "Wow. Does the ability to get a persuasive speech out of utter nonsense come with the Cruxis Crystal, or did you learn it special?"

"GNOME!" Origin shouted.

"What? What did I do?"

Though it was hard to tell from the hologram, it looked like Kratos was trying not to smile. "Some things never change."

Lloyd met his gaze and smiled. Despite all the chaos, one thing was undeniable.

They had a lot to be thankful for.

* * *

 _Author's note: Phew. This story started out a lot of fun, but I struggled with it near the end. This last chapter forced me to finally admit Kratos isn't my favorite character, because I really had a lot of trouble writing him! So I might not have done this story the justice it deserved... but I hope you still enjoyed the ride!_


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